Living Adventure

Backpacking Basics

1: No shoes in the tent. Walking in and out of the tent in only your socks is of course fine.

2: Never cook in your tent. The vestibule is not really in the tent though…so if you’re in the tent and the stove is sort of right in the doorway then you’re totally doing it right.

3: Always be in your sleeping bag, it’s cozy, that’s what it’s for. If something is out of reach simply do the worm across all people and obstacles until you get there.

4: Never bring wet rain gear into the tent. Unless it’s raining outside, in which case you will want to keep your wet things dry. This means you pretty much always have wet rain gear in your tent. Consider a declaring a swamp zone and make sure everyone keeps their swamp in the zone.

5: Don’t pitch in a ditch. Seriously, you don’t need to be on high ground but at least make sure there’s some place lower for the water to go.

6: Prepare for the worst weather you have ever seen. If it’s nice and sunny be extra suspicious as the weather is probably just trying to fool you before letting it rip at the last possible second.

7: Always always always have a clean dry pair of socks at the bottom of your sleeping bag. In case of an emergency, clean dry socks will make everything okay after all.

Did I miss anything? Feel free to add your own in the comments.

(Not my picture. I found it on the internet with permission to reuse it, and I didn’t have my usual photos at hand. Can’t figure out who took it but well done! Looks like a great time)

How am I going to fit all this stuff?

A bit ago I wrote a bit about how I plan adventures, you can find it here. Since then I can’t say I’ve made a whole lot of progress…little bits and pieces here and there, but I’ve been bearing down on the gear end of things and while I’m still pretty undecided I figured I’d lay it out so you can see how this goes. Continue reading →

Dehydration is sneaky. It can show up as joint pain, dizziness, decreased vision, low energy, slower hiking speed, decreased focus, or just a bad attitude. These are all normal while hiking, but if you might be able to avoid all this by drinking more water. Continue reading →

Whether you’re hitting the AT this spring or backpacking around Europe…please please please learn to pack your pack! If you don’t it will hurt, your pack will wear out along with your body, your stuff will always be a shit show, and I will feel your pain when I pass you on the trail… Continue reading →